The Heat of the Stage lights

There is a place where four feet off the ground

feels like the highest point on earth

A place adorned with the brightest of lights

By name, the stage

 

Upon the stage, the rules of the world are suspended

One may smear dirt on their face

and the audience may swoon,

saying that dirt looks sexy on them

 

When the stage is lit, the world is intensified

Pulses run quicker, accentuating rosy cheeks

Voices boom, radiating with wild emotion

Faces and limbs move outside their usual realms,

losing shyness and gaining presence

 

Adrenaline pumps fervently throughout the body

It is possible to feel beautiful in pure rags,

because everyone knows you're Cinderella tonight

and Prince Charming is waiting for you in the wings

 

At the end of the show you take a bow

and revel and beam at the sound of applause

 

You step gingerly off the stage,

and onto reality's ground

which is softer than when you left it

 

When you look into the eyes of the audience,

They are fresh with a dazzling spark

that is the mirror of your performance

Reviews

[Anima Inspired]

The call of the stage...one of life's great mysteries and great wonders. There was some powerful imagery in this piece, deep and rivetting. I would challenge you to try to go a little farther with a couple of the images:

One may smear dirt on their face
and the audience may swoon,
saying that dirt looks sexy on them

and

because everyone knows you're Cinderella tonight
and Prince Charming is waiting for you in the wings

--the first one seems a little out of place for some reason, doesn't really flow that well, and the second image is just a little too "obvious"...Cinderella and Price Charming...I'd rather see Cleopatra and her counterpart, or something to that effect.

Overall, well done and enjoyable!

[Nontani]

This poem has great imagery, without a doubt. I love the stage, it's frightening to be in front of tons of people but also exciting when you hear their applause when you can't see them because the lights overhead the audience are off. I love that, I think it's the best part of performing.

While I think most of it connects, I'm not sure about the staza about the person smearing dirt on their face. While that type of unusual action is not uncommon during performances, I don't think it goes very well with the rest of the imagery you put in here. I could understand if it was renaissance times and they performed on a stage outside like Shakespeare did (or perhaps at a circus), but the rest of you descriptions don't really match that time period or setting.

Overall, this is a wonderful piece. =)

Frozen Angel

[Trikius]

Being an actor I found this very interesting. It has a great deal of truth to how you feel during and after your performance. Excellent wording alot of great lines in this poem. Well done!
(When the stage is lit, the world is intensified).....This is what we live for.

[T. K. Sjostrom]

I'm sure this is for theatrical performances, but I feel exactly that way when playing shows:

Voices boom, radiating with wild emotion
Faces and limbs move outside their usual realms,
losing shyness and gaining presence

Sounds like heavy metal and moshing!

[Dead Angel]

wow! so detailed and wonderfuly described. i know excactly how being on stage feels, i've done a play once and i was in the high school marching band but the football field was my stage and it is very intense. but once its over and done with and i hear the crowd applaude and cheer i can't help but have a big smile on my face. when i do see their faces i do see "the mirror of my performance". well done here heather, very enjoyable. :D

[Wolfwind Words]

I've been under those hot lights, and I've controlled them from the control room in the back. Either way the theater is a life that is one of a kind. An experience only truly known when one has lived it.

A great Tribute!

Aaron Maycroft

[Jennifer Elizabeth]

Well done. Although I've spent very few moments on stage, it brought back the days of chorus concerts for school and that intense feeling of leaving the stage & walking through the crowd afterwards, seeing them once again from "reality's ground"

[Amanda]

such a good write to describe the feeling of being on stage...you capture it quite well....the imagery and the flow are really good.

nice job on this, Heather :)


Always,

Amanda

[lauren emily]

This is just..so great! It really makes me want to be a part of the school play.
Awesome work,
~Lauren

[CharlieO]

Just a great poem - wonderfully well written as usual with your work.
I think you managed to capture many of the emotions and thoughts assoctaed with being on stage. This is clearly an emotion you have experienced and you breath such life into it with your use of imagery and language.
Congrats on this poem.

[Enigma]

Wow!!
That was awesome!! I loved it!! Couldn't have described the 'stage' better. Flows very smooth and plays a short story in reader's mind...
Excellent!! Very well penned!!!